A Chennai-bound IndiGo flight from Raipur was diverted to Bengaluru on Sunday night after smoke from Diwali firecrackers reduced runway visibility at Chennai airport below the minimum required for landing. The aircraft, carrying 78 passengers, later returned to Chennai and landed at 1.54am.
IndiGo flight 6E2002 was scheduled to arrive in Chennai at 10.45pm. The pilot diverted the aircraft to Bengaluru at 11.15pm after determining that visibility during the approach was below the prescribed threshold for landing on runway 07.
Chennai airport authorities said visibility at the time was approximately 900 metres. The minimum runway visual range requirement for landing on runway 07 was 950 metres. The narrow margin meant that the aircraft could not safely complete its scheduled landing at that point, according to the airport authorities.
The diversion was described as a precautionary decision taken by the pilot based on the visibility conditions during the approach. The aircraft, bearing registration number VT-ILJ, subsequently returned to Chennai after conditions improved and arrived at 1.54am.
Airport officials said other flights were able to take off and land around the same period because visibility improved within a few minutes. The incident therefore resulted in a temporary operational disruption rather than a reported closure of Chennai airport.
The episode highlights how short-duration changes in runway visibility can affect flight operations even when an airport remains open. Runway visual range is a critical operational parameter for pilots and air traffic management, particularly during landing, when the aircraft must remain within prescribed safety limits before continuing its approach.
In this case, the reduction in visibility was attributed by airport authorities to smoke from firecrackers burst during Diwali celebrations. The flight was diverted to Bengaluru before returning to Chennai, allowing the aircraft to complete its journey after visibility conditions improved.
The incident also affected passengers whose scheduled arrival was delayed by several hours. No other passenger impact was provided in the available information. Airport authorities said the diversion was based on the conditions prevailing at the time of approach, while subsequent improvement in visibility enabled the aircraft to return and land at Chennai.
